Our New Utility Grade Hardwood Flooring
You would think that a place called ReallyCheapFloors.com would love selling ….well…really cheap floors. But not always. Take this Utility grade flooring for example. This is part of a large purchase that we made recently. Several truckloads in fact. We bought it as an ungraded floor which means that the manufacturer made no promises as to what was in the boxes. So we had to go through several boxes and rack them out so that we could better understand what grade of wood flooring that we were selling. In this blog I will attempt to explain what the boxes contained.
First of all, some generalities. All of the Utility grade is made with either Red Oak or White Oak, and it is all 2 ¼ strip or 3 ¼ inch wide planks. Made in the USA, it will all be ¾” inch thick, and prefinished. In fact, it will all feature a polyurethane finish with aluminum oxide, so our customers will be purchasing a hardwood floor that will perform exceptionally well.
It ain't All Pretty, But It Has Character
Now the downside. While we found some boxes that were better than others, as a general rule the Utility grade flooring runs short. Expect lots of short pieces and you will not be disappointed. In the photo below you can see a box of Red Oak Natural, with mostly short boards. And lots of defects, either natural or manufacturing. Let me tell you about the most common defects that we discovered in this shipment of hardwood flooring.
Defect Definitions And Characteristics
Machine Burn- A darker streak across the face of a hardwood board that is caused by the pausing of the board as it passes under a sander. Burns will be much more visible in the Natural finished flooring than the stained hardwoods.
(Pic of Planer mark)
Scant Thickness- This is when a part of the board is not the full specified thickness. Not typically seen in prefinished.
Season Check- This is a small crack that may show up after the hardwood lumber has seasoned. Small, filled checks are allowed in higher grades of wood flooring.
Bird Pecks- Just like it sounds. Darned woodpeckers!
Knots- This is where a limb was once located. Open knots are typically filled during the finish process. Large knots in hardwood lumber can be a problem, while small knots in many cases add to the look of the flooring.
Streaks- Usually caused by the absorption of minerals from the soil around the tree. Depending on the species, it is usually a darker color than either the heartwood or sapwood. Many customers want the extra color contrast because it adds a rustic character.
Pin Worm Holes- Pin worms sometimes get into freshly cut lumber or trees, as well as standing timber that’s in a weakened state. The kilning process kills these little fellows but their tracks remain as small-bore holes. We frequently see these in our Utility grade flooring.
Any and all of these defects can be seen in our Utility grade flooring. In the photos below you can see some pics that we took of boards we pulled from the boxes as we displayed them.
Why Do We Have Utility Grade Hardwood Flooring?
Lumber is a commodity, as well as a natural product. At ReallyCheapFloors.com we are truly liquidators. That means we work with a few of the largest flooring manufacturers in the United States to move whatever inventory they feel that they need rid of. Sometimes it is Cabin, sometimes it is first quality, and sometimes, like now, it is the lower-graded Utility flooring.
Ironically, Utility grade flooring is how we started our business. At that time, about 13 years ago, I started buying all the Utility grade wood flooring that Shaw Industries made at their Zickgraf plant in Franklin, NC. Man was that stuff rough! This batch looks like Select flooring compared to that old Shaw stuff. But we not only sold a lot of it. Millions of feet of flooring. We also learned a lot. The biggest thing that we learned was the secret to having happy customers. We have to make certain that the reality meets or exceeds the customer’s expectations. Because we have no control over the reality of what kind of wood is in these boxes our focus today is about managing your expectations.
You will not be able to buy an extra 10-20% and turn this floor into something wonderful. It will still be a Utility grade floor and you will have thrown away several dollars of your hard earned money. Buy 10% extra, and throw away the worst of it.
It has lots of short boards in it. As you can see in the pics of the various colors below it is mostly shorts. Heck, some boxes will be all shorts. Believe it or not, shorts look great when they are installed but when you are holding them in your hands they offer a great “what the heck” moment.
Installers hate Utility grade flooring. If you are planning on paying someone to lay this floor, tell them about it beforehand, warts and all. We are not going to refund your freight money because your installer won’t lay it.
Feeling Faint-Hearted?
Am I about to talk you out of buying our Utility grade hardwood flooring? Good! Cause it ain’t for everyone. No rose-colored glasses allowed here. Please, look at the photos closely, and be aware of what we are offering. Only you know if its imperfections and characteristics will be good for your home. If you think it will work, it is certainly a great deal at the prices we are offering it. And you have to remember, we are selling this flooring at a lower price than you can buy most unfinished solid hardwood flooring.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to pick up the phone and talk to one of our salespeople. They would be happy to help you with your selection of one of our great deals on other grades of hardwood or vinyl plank floors.
